C16 Bloodthirsty Fiendish Demon

As Lee Cann made his way through the Imperial Capital, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The city that once buzzed with activity deep into the night was now eerily silent, the streets deserted.

He had a hunch that Second Prince Lee Yuan had set his plan in motion.

With urgency, Lee Cann quickened his pace, heading straight for the palace.

"Entry to the Imperial Palace is forbidden!" The guards shouted as they spotted him from a distance.

But Lee Cann, a first rank Martial General, paid them no mind. His speed was unmatched, and he closed in on the palace without uttering a single word.

"Stop! Or I will show no mercy!" A guard's hand hovered over his sword, ready to draw.

Ignoring the warning, Lee Cann burst through the palace gates.

Time was of the essence; the Second Prince had already acted, and Lee Cann couldn't afford to waste another moment.

His presence as a first rank Martial General was palpable, overwhelming the guards who stood frozen, unable to act against his superior strength.

Once inside, the guards exhaled in relief, flexing their numb arms. They were puzzled by the stranger's high rank and vaguely familiar appearance.

Lee Cann had intentionally projected his powerful aura to draw attention. Without knowing the Second Prince's whereabouts, he hoped to force them to come to him.

He traversed several palaces, finding them all empty.

Where could they be?

Pushing open the doors to the throne room, Lee Cann was hit by a wave of acrid blood. The stench was so overpowering it nearly made him gag.

Inside, headless corpses stood as silent sentinels in the hall. Lee Cann approached, and with his keen memory, he could name each one. They were the loyal elite of the Southern Tang Kingdom, now fallen.

Fury clenched within him, his knuckles whitening with the grip of his resolve.

The Second Prince's cruelty knew no bounds.

"I, Lee Cann, swear to avenge you," he vowed.

With reverence, he laid the bodies to rest, arranging them with care. He then retrieved their heads, placing each one back upon its rightful shoulders.

"May you find peace," he whispered.

Lee Cann silently recited a mantra as he burst from the Golden Throne Hall. The ministers had been slain; they were undoubtedly with the Emperor now. He made a beeline for the Emperor's study and soon spotted a silhouette.

"Halt! This area is off-limits. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden to—"

Before they could finish, Lee Cann drew the Dragon Cry Sword, unleashing a sweeping strike. A golden arc of energy from the sword surged toward the speaker. The man was cut in half at the waist before he could utter another word.

The disturbance caught the attention of others, and a group quickly encircled Lee Cann, shouting warnings.

"We are the Left Forest Army of the Fiend Sect. If you don't want trouble with us, you'd best leave now. Otherwise, don't expect any mercy!"

The speaker appeared to be a leader within the Left Forest Army, a formidable ninth-rank Martial Master. Yet, he felt a palpable pressure emanating from Lee Cann.

At this critical juncture, they couldn't afford any slip-ups. He had already reasoned that if Lee Cann insisted on confrontation, the collective might of the Left Forest Army should be able to subdue him. After all, the number of Martial Generals in the Southern Tang Kingdom was few, with many stuck at the ninth-rank Martial Master level for life.

He doubted Lee Cann was a Martial General, yet part of him was inclined to believe it. Lee Cann had already envisioned the carnage wrought by the Second Prince, his collusion with the nefarious Fiend Sect, and the vendetta that made the prince a marked man in his eyes.

Now, Lee Cann's resolve was akin to the saying, "If gods block the path, slay the gods; if Buddhas bar the way, slay the Buddhas."

Without further ado, Lee Cann, brandishing the Dragon Cry Sword, plunged into the ranks of the Left Forest Army. Thrusts, sweeps, lifts, and slashes—his sword techniques were relentless, and Left Forest Army soldiers fell one after another.

"Ding! Kill..."

"Ding! Kill..."

"Ding..."

"Ding..."

The system's notifications incessantly echoed in Lee Cann's ears as he fought like a man possessed, utterly disregarding the drain on his Genuine Qi.

Sword moves flew one after the other, each one claiming the life of a Zuo Lin Army soldier. In a short time, the once hundreds-strong force dwindled to just a handful. The ground was a chaotic tapestry of bodies, the blood staining everything in sight.

The ninth-rank Martial Master who had spoken earlier now felt a chill crawl across his scalp. The direst of outcomes had unfolded before him. Lee Cann was a Martial General, and though he was only first rank, he was leagues beyond any Martial Master. The difference was as vast as that between the heavens and the earth.

The few remaining Zuo Lin soldiers exchanged glances and silently nodded to one another. They were the elite of the Fiend Sect's forces, hardened by extreme training. Crucially, they were practitioners of a demonic technique known as the 'Bloodthirsty Demon Fiend.' This technique was notoriously difficult to master, with the slightest misstep leading to a violent death. The Fiend Sect had seen a mortality rate exceeding 90% among those who dared to attempt it. Countless had perished, and only a scarce dozen within the Zuo Lin Army had succeeded.

In essence, this technique allowed several individuals to merge their Qi and blood into one, potentially elevating that person's rank by two levels.

The survivors from the Zuo Lin Army altered their hand signs, and slender, blood-red filaments began to weave between them. As the threads fully connected, their arms quivered with the strain. The filaments thickened ominously.

Screams of agony pierced the air. All but the lead ninth-rank Martial Master aged rapidly, their dark hair turning white in an instant, their bodies withering away.

The crimson threads vanished, and the fallen soldiers lay still, save for the ninth-rank Martial Master who remained standing, unscathed.

With a ferocious roar, the Martial Master's presence transformed. He had ascended to the rank of a first-rank Martial General. The Bloodthirsty Demon Fiend had only boosted him one level, but it was all he needed.

He was convinced that Lee Cann had depleted his Genuine Qi. On equal footing, he refused to believe he couldn't overpower a Martial General who had yet to tap into his Genuine Qi reserves.

Lee Cann's brow furrowed deeply as he faced the newly promoted first-rank Martial General of the Zuo Lin Army.

He never imagined that such a dark art could exist in the world.

Despite his advancement to a first-rank Martial General, it proved insufficient!

Extracting a recovery pill from his backpack, he popped it into his mouth. As the pill dissolved, Lee Cann's Genuine Qi swiftly replenished within him.

Gripping the Dragon Cry Sword more tightly, he lunged forward in a burst of speed.

The first-rank Martial General's eyes were bloodshot. Spotting Lee Cann's charge, he drew his own weapon to meet the attack.

His weapon was a black iron rod, its surface wrapped in sinister, blood-red patterns.

As Genuine Qi flowed into the rod, its crimson designs grew starkly vivid.

Lee Cann's sword swung down in a powerful arc, met by the horizontal block of the rod, clashing with a jarring clang.

The Dragon Cry Sword was halted, but Lee Cann poured even more Genuine Qi into his blade.

The first-rank Martial General wavered, struggling to keep up, yet he too reinforced his weapon with a surge of Genuine Qi.

With a thunderous "Crash!"

Both the Dragon Cry Sword and the iron rod were catapulted away, flung into the distance.

And the two combatants were sent hurtling backward from the force of the impact.